Maintenance Man

Mechanic was looking over the hydraulic equipment on a service truck when something failed & struck the mechanic in head above right eye. Mechanic fell back onto the garage floor.

On Thursday, November 29, 2018, at approximately 1:05 p.m., George Ney, a 50-year-old mechanic with 29 years of mining experience, received a critical injury while examining the hydraulic system on a service truck. The hydraulic system had been modified earlier that day, causing excessive pressure to flow to a fitting that burst, propelling a temperature sensor into Ney’s forehead. The victim died of his injuries on December 30, 2018. The accident occurred because Ney and other miners were not trained in safe procedures for working on the hydraulic system.

1. The mine operator did not provide adequate task training on the hydraulic system on the truck before miners performed work on the hydraulic system.

   Corrective action: The mine operator developed new task training incorporating best practices. The operator provided new task training to miners who maintain and/or repair hydraulic systems. This training included safe work procedures when working on hydraulic systems, with instruction to not pressurize hydraulic systems prior to the completion of repairs.

Findings from MSHA's final investigation report, which supersedes the preliminary narrative above.

Activity at time of incident

Machine Maintenance

Subunit / location

MILL OPERATION/PREPARATION PLANT

Accident type

Struck by flying object

Source of injury

METAL,(Not Elsewhere Classified)(PIPE,WIRE,NAIL)

Nature of injury

CUT,LACER,PUNCT-OPN WOUND

Body part affected

HEAD,NEC

Total mining experience

29 years

Experience at this mine

29 years

Experience in this job

29 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY